Water powered turbine and turbine systems

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are turbines and turbine systems that may be used to generate power and/or electricity from flowing water or may be used in various other applications such as the pumping of water. One embodiment of the disclosed turbines includes a plurality of blades that may be connected to a turbine housing by a hinge so that the blades are movable between an active state, wherein the blade is configured to contribute to the rotational movement of the turbine, and a passive state, wherein the blade is configured to minimally resist the rotation of the turbine. Turbine blades are disclosed with specific features that more efficiently capture water flow power.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

APPENDIX MATERIAL

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates generally to turbines. More specificallythe present disclosure relates to water powered turbines and waterpowered turbine systems.

2. The Relevant Technology

Throughout history, the power of water flow has been used to performwork. Historically, waterwheels were used take advantage of the power offlowing rivers and streams in order to grind grain or perform otherlabor.

Presently, water turbines are commonly used for energy generation atpower plants located at rivers or other locations where the power ofwater flow can be converted into electricity. Water interacts with theblades of a turbine causing rotational movement of the turbine. Theturbine is coupled to a generator so that the rotational movement of theturbine may be converted into electricity. Further, water turbines maybe used to for other purposes besides electricity generation. Waterturbines may also pump water for irrigation, for example.

Energy consumption around the world is rising. Therefore, the methods ofenergy generation are constantly in need of expansion and innovation.Generation of energy from water flow is one prominent method of energygeneration, and the locations at which water flow may be converted toenergy are diverse, including, for example, streams, rivers, tidalbasins, oceans, lakes, aqua-ducts, irrigation canals, and sewers. Theselocations are highly varied and are comprised of various sizes, shapes,water volumes, depths, and flow characteristics. The possibleapplications for power generating water turbines are seeminglylimitless. Thus, improvements in the art of water turbines areconstantly needed.

Additionally, public concern has risen over finite energy resources suchas coal and oil, which have adverse side-effects on the environment.Therefore, there is significant public interest in attempts to harnessenergy from infinite and renewable resources that have limited or noadverse effects upon the environment. Water flow provides an additionalsource of renewable energy, and the use of turbines to convert waterflow to energy has few, if any, adverse effects on the environment.Therefore, improved systems and methods of harnessing energy from waterflows addresses public interest in renewable and non-pollutant energysources.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein are turbines and turbine systems that may be used togenerate power and/or electricity from flowing water. Additionally, theturbines and turbine systems of the present disclosure may be used forvarious other applications such as the pumping of water for irrigationapplications.

One embodiment of a turbine includes a housing and a shaft, with aplurality of blades each coupled to the shaft and extending outside theouter perimeter of the housing. Each of the plurality of blades may beconnected to the housing by a hinge so that the blades are movablebetween an active state, wherein the edge of the blade opposite of thehinge is forced against a stop located on the housing, and a passivestate, wherein the edge of the blade opposite of the hinge is urged awayfrom the stop on the housing. In the active state the blade isconfigured to contribute to the rotational movement of the turbine, andin the passive state the blade is configured to provide minimumresistance to the rotation of the turbine.

In some embodiments, multiple turbines may be combined in stacked organg configurations so that the rotational movement of multiple turbinesmay be used to generate electricity or to perform other work. In someembodiments, turbines may be stacked in a staggered configuration thatimproves the energy generation or work performed by the combination ofturbines.

In other embodiments, the blades of a turbine may be configured with ascimitar-shaped edge, which contributes to the blades movement betweenan active state and a passive state. In yet other embodiments, theblades of a turbine may be curved to maximize the power obtained fromflowing water.

In one embodiment, the blades of a turbine may be constructed fromreadily available materials such as pipes. This may reduce themanufacturing costs of turbines. Additionally, in some embodiments, thepipes that are used to manufacture the blades of a turbine may also beused for the shaft of the turbine.

In one embodiment, the switching of the blades of a turbine between anactive state and a passive state drive the rotation of the turbine in asingle direction, e.g., counter-clockwise. When the rotation of theblades is with the flow of water, the blades move to an active state andprovide resistance to the flow of water, which contributes to therotation of the turbine. When the rotation of the blades is againstwater flow, the blades move to a passive state in order to minimizeresistance to the flow of water. In this way, the blades of a turbinemay be configured to contribute resistance to the flow of water onlywhen the blades are rotating with the flow of water. This configurationdrives the rotation of the turbine in a single direction.

The disclosed turbines and turbine systems may be combined andconfigured for a variety of applications including, for example, use instreams, rivers, tidal basins, oceans, aqua-ducts, irrigation canals,dams, and/or sewers.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

These and other embodiments and features of the present invention willbecome more fully apparent from the following description and appendedclaims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forthhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of thepresent invention, a more particular description of the invention willbe rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that thesedrawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention willbe described and explained with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates an embodiment of a water powered turbine;

FIG. 1B shows the water powered turbine of FIG. 1 with phantom lines sothat the interior of the water powered turbine may be seen;

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a water powered turbine configurationincluding multiple water powered turbines in a vertical stack;

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a blade of a water powered turbine;

FIG. 4A shows an embodiment of a blade of a water powered turbine in apassive state;

FIG. 4B shows the blade of a water power turbine of FIG. 4A in an activestate;

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of a blade of a water powered turbine;

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a blade of a water power turbine, whereina the cuts on the blade achieve optimal pressure gain on the blade inthe active state and minimal pressure on the blade in the passive state;

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of a water powered turbine configurationincluding multiple water powered turbines in a vertical stack; and

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a water powered turbine configurationincluding multiple water powered turbines in a gang configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This detailed disclosure relates to turbines, turbine systems, andmethods of making and using turbines and turbine systems. Severalexemplary embodiments of turbines will now be disclosed with referenceto the appended figures.

FIG. 1A shows turbine 100. Turbine 100 includes an upper portion 110,lower portion 120, and a shaft 130. Turbine 100 also includes severalblades 140 a-f and several stops 150 a-f. FIG. 1B shows turbine 100,wherein the phantom lines depict elements of turbine 100 that are hiddenfrom view in FIG. 1A.

As shown in FIGS. 1A-B, upper portion 110 and lower portion 120 arecircular in shape and are substantially the same size. However an upperportion and a lower portion of a turbine may be any size and shape. Theedge of upper portion 110 is defined by an outer perimeter 112, and theedge of lower portion 120 is defined by an outer perimeter 122. Theouter perimeter 112 and the outer perimeter 122 may be any size to suita desired application for turbine 100. Further, outer perimeter 112 andouter perimeter 122 may be the same size or may be different sizes.Thus, upper portion 110 and lower portion 120 create a housing 160 forother elements of turbine 100, and one of skill in the art willrecognize many variations that may be made to the size, shape, andconfiguration of housing 160.

FIGS. 1A-B show a shaft 130 extending between upper portion 110 andlower portion 120. As shown, shaft 130 is columnar in shape. However,shaft 130 may be any size and shape to fit a desired application ofturbine 100. Also, shaft 130 may be hollow or solid depending on theapplication. Shaft 130 of turbine 100 is shown only as extending betweenupper portion 110 and lower portion 120. As will be described furtherwith respect to other embodiments, shaft 130 may extend through upperportion 110 and/or lower portion 120 in order to couple to otherturbines, to other elements of an energy generation system, or to otherapparatuses in order to perform work.

Blades 140 a-f of turbine 100 extend away from shaft 130 outside ofouter perimeters 112, 122 of upper portion 110 and lower portion 120,respectively. In one embodiment, blades 140 a-f extend away from shaft130 such that ⅓ of the length of the blades 140 a-f remain inside of,and ⅔ of the blades 140 a-f remain exterior to, the outer perimeters112, 122 of upper portion 110 and lower portion 120. However, in otherembodiments any proportion of blades 140 a-f may be exterior to theouter perimeters 112, 122 of upper portion 110 and lower portion 120.Indeed, in some embodiments, the entirety of blades 140 a-f may remaininside the outer perimeters 112, 122 of upper portion 110 and lowerportion 120.

Blades 140 a-f are coupled to upper portion 110 of turbine 100. As shownin FIGS. 1A-B, blades 140 a-f are hingedly coupled to upper portion 110so that blades 140 a-f may move between an active state and a passivestate. Active and passive states of blades 140 a-f will be furtherdescribed with reference to FIGS. 4A-B. Blades 140 a-f may be hingedlycoupled to upper portion 110 by a hinge or by any other mechanism thatallows for the pivoting movement of blades 140 a-f. In addition, blades140 a-f may be hingedly coupled to upper portion 110 along any portionof the length of the blades 140 a-f that are interior to the outerperimeter 112 of upper portion 110.

Stops 150 a-f are coupled to the lower portion 120 of turbine 100. Stops150 a-f prevent blades 140 a-f from complete hinged rotation when movingfrom a passive state to an active state. In another embodiment, thestops may be located on the upper portion 110 of turbine 100. Thefunction of stops 150 a-f will be described further with reference toFIGS. 4A-B.

In FIGS. 1A-B, stops 150 a-f are shown as slightly bent lengths ofmaterial that extend from shaft 130 to the outer perimeter 122 of lowerportion 120. However, any configuration of stops may be used with thepresent invention to provide the function of preventing rotation ofblades past a pre-determined point. For example, in another embodiment,the stops 150 a-f can be configured to provide structural support toturbine 100 by coupling a first end of each stop to lower portion 120and a second end of each stop to upper portion 110.

In some applications, turbine 100 is placed in flowing water. Themovement of the flowing water exerts a force on blades 140 a-f to causerotation of turbine 100. The rotational movement of turbine 100 may beharnessed and converted to energy by connecting turbine 100 to anelectrical generator or the like, as is known in the art. Additionally,the rotational movement of turbine 100 may be used to perform other worksuch as to pump water as part of an irrigation system. One of skill inthe art will recognize many useful and varied applications of turbine100.

The description of an upper portion 110 and a lower portion 120 is in noway limiting and the use of the words “upper” and “lower” is forconvenience only in referring to the several figures. Thus, theconfiguration of turbine 100 may be inverted such that upper portion 110is below lower portion 120. Therefore, the use of directional languageis solely for the convenience of the reader and in no way limits thedisclosure and/or claims. One of skill in the art will readily recognizethat inversions, mirror images, rotations, and or other reconfigurationsmay be made within the scope of this disclosure and within the scope ofthe appended claims.

Now, with reference to FIG. 2, another embodiment of a turbine 200 isshown. Turbine 200 may comprise three separate turbines, such as threeof turbine 100, or may comprise a singular turbine. As shown, turbine200 comprises turbine 210, turbine 220, and turbine 230. The turbines210, 220, 230 are configured with similar elements to turbine 100 ofFIGS. 1A-B. That is, turbines 210, 220, 230 each have upper and lowerportions, a shaft, blades, and stops. The shaft 240 of turbine 200 maybe a shaft common to turbines 210, 220, 230 or may be comprised ofmultiple shaft portions from each of the turbines 210, 220, 230, whichhave been coupled together to act as a singular shaft 240. The upper andlower portions of each of the turbines 210, 220, 230 may be upper andlower portions unique to each turbine 210, 220, 230, or, as shown inFIG. 2, may be shared between the turbines 210, 220, 230. Thus, forexample, portion 260 acts both as the lower portion for turbine 210 onwhich the stops of turbine 210 are coupled and as the upper portion ofturbine 220 on which the blades of turbine 220 are hingedly coupled.

The turbines 210, 220, 230 of turbine 200 are shown in a staggeredconfiguration. For example, each turbine 210, 220, 230 is shown in FIG.2 as having six blades. In one embodiment, the six blades of each of theturbines 210, 220, 230 are configured and separated at about 60° aroundshaft 240. Thus, in a staggered configuration the blades of turbine 210may be staggered at 30° from the blades of turbine 220, and the bladesof turbine 220 may be staggered at 30° from the blades of turbine 230.In other embodiments, the blades of turbine 210 may be staggered at 10°from those of turbine 220, and the blades of turbine 220 may bestaggered at 20° from the blades of turbine 230. One of skill in the artwill recognize that any staggered configuration of turbines 210, 220,230 may be used depending upon the application of turbine 200.

Line 270 of FIG. 2 is an example of water flow when turbine 200 is inuse. As illustrated, when water flows towards turbine 200 it makescontact with the blades of turbine 210 around point 272 on line 270.This contact exerts a force on the blades of turbine 210 in thedirection of the water flow. In addition, after contact with the bladesof turbine 210, the water flow is directed downward toward turbine 220.The water flow contacts the blades of turbine 220 exerting a force onthe blades of turbine 220 in the direction of water flow. After contactwith the blades of turbine 220, at about point 274, the water flow isdirected downward toward turbine 230 where it may contact the blades ofturbine 230. Thus, the stagger configuration of the turbines 210, 220,230 allows turbine 200 to take advantage of water flow energy as thewater flow is deflected from turbine to turbine.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of an embodiment of a blade 340 of turbine100. Blade 340 has a leading edge 342, a trailing edge 344, and ascimitar-shaped end 346. Also, as shown, blade 340 is curved. The curvedconfiguration of blade 340 allows blade 340 to “cup” water as waterexerts a force on blade 340. This curvature allows for better capture ofpower from water flow.

The curvature of blade 340 is defined by an angle 348. As shown in FIG.3, the angle defining the curvature of blade 340 is a right, or 90°,angle. However, any angle of curvature may be used. For example, angle348 may also be an acute angle, or angle 348 may be an obtuse angle.

Further shown in FIG. 3, the scimitar-shaped end 346 of blade 340 isdefined by an angle 349. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, angle 349defining scimitar-shaped end 346 is 45°. This angle means that leadingedge 342 is shorter that trailing edge 344. However, any angle may beused for angle 349 such that leading edge 342 and trailing edge 344 maybe of any size and configuration. The scimitar-shaped end 346 of blade340 will be further described with reference to FIG. 6.

FIGS. 4A-B show the active and passive states of a blade 440. FIGS. 4A-Bshow a turbine 400 in a similar configuration to turbine 100 of FIG. 1except that turbine 400 is shown with only one blade 440.

FIG. 4A shows one embodiment of a passive phase of blade 440. In FIG.4A, the direction of water flow is shown as arrow 470 a. Water flow 470a is against the curvature of blade 440 and against thecounter-clockwise rotation of turbine 400. Blade 440 is configured tomove to a passive state when the flow of water is against the rotationalmovement of the turbine. In this configuration, blade 440 is coupled toupper portion 410 by a hinge 480. Hinge 480 allows blade 440 to rotateabout the leading edge 442 of blade 440 so that the trailing edge 444 ofblade 440 is urged upward toward the upper portion 410 of turbine 440 bythe flow of water. If blade 440 were not hingedly coupled to upperportion 410 then blade 440 would resist the water flow 470 a, whichwould hinder the counter-clockwise rotation of turbine 400. However inthe passive state, blade 440 is urged upward toward upper portion 410 soas to minimize the resistance created as the blade moves in a directioncounter to the direction of water flow 470 a. In some applications, theresistance of a blade traveling against the flow of water is decrease byabout 68% while in a passive configuration.

FIG. 4B shows the embodiment of turbine 400 of FIG. 4A when thedirection of water flow 470 b is with the curvature of blade 440 andwith the counter-clockwise rotation of turbine 400. When the water flow470 b is with the rotation of turbine 400, blade 440 moves into anactive state, which is shown in FIG. 4B. In the active state, leadingedge 442 of blade 440 remains hingedly coupled to upper portion 410 byhinge 480, and trailing edge 444 is urged downward toward lower portion420 by water flow 470 b. Therefore, in the active configuration, waterflow 470 b forces against the curvature of blade 440 and contributes tothe counter-clockwise rotation of turbine 400. Blade 440 is preventedfrom rotating past the active state by a stop 450. Stop 450 keepstrailing edge 444 of blade 440 from over-rotating upward back towardupper portion 410. In the active state, water flow 470 b forces trailingedge 444 of blade 440 against stop 450 such that the active state ofblade 440 is maintained.

As turbine 400 rotates, the water flow direction with respect to blade440 changes so that blade 440 alternates between an active state and apassive state. In embodiments wherein multiple blades are included aspart of a turbine, some blades may be in an active state, some bladesmay be in a passive state, and/or some blades may be in a state betweenan active state and a passive state.

The switching of the blades of a turbine between an active state and apassive state drive the rotation of the turbine in a single direction.When the rotation of the blades of a turbine is with the flow of water,the blades move to an active state and provide resistance to the flow ofwater, which contributes to the rotation of the turbine. When therotation of the blades is against the flow of water, the blades move toa passive state in order to minimize resistance to the flow of water. Inthis way, the blades of a turbine may be configured to contributeresistance to the flow of water only blades are rotating with the flowof water. This configuration drives the rotation of the turbine in asingle direction. For example, the embodiment of turbine 400 shown inFIGS. 4A-B is configured to drive rotation in a counter-clockwisedirection. However, one of skill in the art will recognize that aturbine may be alternatively configured to drive rotation in a clockwisedirection.

The transitioning of blades between active states and passive states isdictated primarily, or completely, by water flow. Thus, embodiments ofturbines will not need to be reconfigured to adapt to changes in theflow characteristics of the surrounding water. For example, in anembodiment in which a turbine is used to harness energy from tidalwaters, the blades on a first side a the turbine will be urged into theactive state in order to harness energy from the flowing tide, while theblades on the second side will be urged to the passive state tominimally resist the flowing tide. The flow characteristics of the tidalwaters change direction as the tide transitions from a flowing tide toan ebbing tide. When the tide ebbs, the blades on the first side of theturbine may be urged into a passive state to minimally resist the ebbingtide, while the blades on the second side will be urged into the activestate in order to harness energy from the ebbing tide.

FIG. 5 shows a possible method of manufacturing an embodiment of a blade540. Dotted-line 590 represents the outline of a readily availableconfiguration of material such as a pipe. FIG. 5 shows that a blade 540may be cut or otherwise manufactured from a pipe. For example, the blade540 of FIG. 5 has an angle 548 that defines the curvature of blade 540.In FIG. 5, angle 548 is 90°. Thus, a blade 540 with a 90° arc may bemanufactured by cutting a quarter section of a pipe. The size of a pipefrom which blades may be cut may be defined by the size and applicationof a turbine to be used. Further, blades may be manufactured from anysuitable material such as aluminum, stainless steel, copper, PVC,plastic, polymers, or any other natural or synthetic material.

Blades for the disclosed turbines do not need to be manufactured frompipes in accordance with FIG. 5. FIG. 5 illustrates only one possiblemethod of manufacture for turbine blades.

FIG. 6 is another detailed view of an embodiment of a blade 640. Blade640 has a leading edge 642, a trailing edge 644, and a scimitar-shapedend 646. The scimitar-shaped end 646 of blade 640 maximizes the forcethat a water flow 670 exerts on blade 640 when blade 640 is in an activestate and minimizes the force that a water flow exerts on blade 640 whenblade 640 is in a passive state.

As described with reference to FIG. 3, one embodiment of ascimitar-shaped end may be defined by an angle of 45°. This embodimentallows approximately 22% of the blade surface to be exposed to waterflow pressure while the blade is in a passive state. This has thefurther advantage of more efficiently transitioning the blade from apassive state to an active state.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of a turbine system 700. Turbine system 700includes multiple turbine stages 710, 720, 730. Each turbine stage 710,720, 730 also includes multiple turbines. For example, turbine stage 710includes turbines 701, 702, 703, 704. As shown in FIG. 7, turbine system700 is composed of turbine stages stacked in a vertical fashion. Eachturbine stage 710, 720, 730 of turbine system 700 contributes itsrotational movement and forces to a common shaft 740. Turbine system 700may also include additional elements that interact with other turbinesystems, turbine states, turbines, and/or other apparatuses of an energygeneration system, for example a wheel 750 of a pulley system, or a gearbox (not shown).

The turbines of FIG. 7 may be coupled together directly or throughcoupling means that will be readily apparent to those of skill in theart. Vertically stacked turbines, such as those shown in FIG. 7, may bedesirable in deep water applications of turbines.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a turbine system 800, wherein multipleturbines 801-809 are configured in a horizontal gang configuration. Theturbines 801-809 of turbine system 800 may be coupled together using,for example, pulleys. The coupling of turbines 801-809 allows eachturbine 801-809 to contribute its rotational movement and forces to acommon shaft, such as, for example, the shaft of turbine 805.Gang-configured turbines, such as those shown in FIG. 8, may bedesirable in shallow water applications.

In addition to the vertical stack configuration of FIG. 7 and the gangconfiguration of FIG. 8, the disclosed turbines may be configured invarious other combinations, such as a gang configuration of verticallystacked turbines. FIGS. 7 and 8 show that the disclosed turbines arehighly modular and may be configured and combined to suit anyapplication. One of skill in the art will recognize many variedconfigurations of turbines based on the present disclosure.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

1. A water power turbine comprising: a housing comprising a firstportion and a second portion, wherein the size of the housing is definedby an outer perimeter; a shaft extending between at least the firstportion and the second portion of the housing; a plurality of blades,each of the plurality of blades comprising a first end, a second end, aleading edge, and a trailing edge; wherein the first end of each of theplurality of blades is positioned inside the outer perimeter of thehousing, wherein the second end of each of the plurality of blades ispositioned outside the outer perimeter of the housing, and wherein eachof the plurality of blades is hingedly coupled to the housing at theleading edge of the blade; a plurality of stops, each stop correspondingto one of the plurality of blades, wherein each stop is coupled to thehousing; and each of the plurality of blades is independently movablebetween an active state, wherein the trailing edge of the blade isforced against one of the plurality of stops, and a passive state,wherein the trailing edge of the blade is urged toward a positionsubstantially co-planar with the first portion of the housing.
 2. Awater power turbine according to claim 1, wherein each of the pluralityof blades is hingedly coupled to the first portion of the housing, andwherein the plurality of stops is coupled to the second portion of thehousing.
 3. A water power turbine according to claim 1, wherein thesecond end of each of the plurality of blades is scimitar-shaped.
 4. Awater power turbine according to claim 3, wherein the scimitar-shapedsecond end of each of the plurality of blades is at an angle of about45°.
 5. A water power turbine according to claim 1, wherein at least oneof the plurality of blades extends outside the outer perimeter of thehousing such that approximately ⅓ of the at least one of the pluralityof blades is positioned inside the outer perimeter of the housing, andapproximately ⅔ of the at least one of the plurality of blades ispositioned outside the outer perimeter of the housing.
 6. A water powerturbine according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of blades comprisessix blades positioned at about 60° separations around the shaft.
 7. Awater power turbine according to claim 1, wherein each of the pluralityof blades comprises about a 90° arc of curvature between the leadingedge and the trailing edge.
 8. A water power turbine system comprising:a plurality of turbines, each turbine comprising: a housing comprising afirst portion and a second portion, wherein the size of the housing isdefined by an outer perimeter; a shaft extending between at least thefirst portion and the second portion of the housing; a plurality ofblades, each of the plurality of blades comprising a first end, a secondend, a leading edge, and a trailing edge; wherein the first end of eachof the plurality of blades is positioned inside the outer perimeter ofthe housing, wherein the second end of each of the plurality of bladesis positioned outside the outer perimeter of the housing, and whereineach of the plurality of blades is hingedly coupled to the first portionof the housing at the leading edge of the blade; a plurality of stops,each stop corresponding to one of the plurality of blades, wherein eachstop is coupled to the second portion of the housing; and each of theplurality of blades is independently movable between an active state,wherein the trailing edge of the blade is forced against one of theplurality of stops, and a passive state, wherein the trailing edge ofthe blade is forced upward toward the first portion of the housing.
 9. Awater power turbine system according to claim 8, wherein the pluralityof turbines are coupled together in a vertical stack.
 10. A water powerturbine system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of turbinescomprises a first turbine and a second turbine, the plurality of bladesof the first turbine being spaced at a predetermined interval ofseparation, the plurality of blades of the second turbine being spacedat the predetermined interval of separation, wherein the first turbineand second turbine are staggeredly coupled together in a vertical stacksuch that the plurality of blades of the first turbine are staggered inrelation to the blades of the second turbine.
 11. A water power turbinesystem according to claim 10, wherein plurality of blades for each ofthe first and second turbines comprises six blades, and wherein theinterval of separation is 60°.
 12. A water power turbine systemaccording to claim 11, wherein the second turbine is staggered at 30°rotation with respect to the first turbine.
 13. A water power turbinesystem according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of turbines arecoupled together in gang configuration.
 14. A water power turbine systemaccording to claim 13, wherein the plurality of turbines are coupledtogether in a gang configuration with at least one pulley.
 15. A waterpower turbine system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality ofturbines comprises multiple turbine stacks, wherein each turbine stackcomprises a plurality of turbines coupled together in a vertical stack,and wherein the multiple turbine stacks are coupled together in a gangconfiguration.
 16. A water power turbine system comprising: A firstturbine comprising: a housing comprising a first portion and a secondportion, wherein the size of the housing is defined by an outerperimeter; a shaft extending between at least the first portion and thesecond portion of the housing; a plurality of blades, each of theplurality of blades comprising a first end, a scimitar-shaped secondend, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, wherein each of the pluralityof blades extends outside the outer perimeter of the housing such thatapproximately ⅓ of each of the plurality of blades is positioned insidethe outer perimeter of the housing, and approximately ⅔ of each of theplurality of blades is positioned outside the outer perimeter of thehousing, and wherein each of the plurality of blades is hingedly coupledto the first portion of the housing at the leading edge of the blade;the plurality of blades further comprising about a 90° arc of curvaturebetween the leading edge and the trailing edge; a plurality of stops,each stop corresponding to one of the plurality of blades, wherein eachstop is coupled to the second portion of the housing; and each of theplurality of blades is independently movable between an active state,wherein the trailing edge of the blade is forced against one of theplurality of stops, and a passive state, wherein the trailing edge ofthe blade is forced upward toward the first portion of the housing. 17.A water power turbine system in accordance with claim 16, furthercomprising a second turbine coupled to the first turbine in a verticalstack configuration.
 18. A water power turbine system in accordance withclaim 17, wherein the plurality of blades of the first turbine arespaced at a predetermined interval of separation, the second turbinecomprising a plurality of blades spaced at the predetermined interval ofseparation, wherein the first turbine and second turbine are staggeredlycoupled together in the vertical stack such that the plurality of bladesof the first turbine are staggered in relation to the plurality ofblades of the second turbine.
 19. A water power turbine system accordingto claim 18, wherein the plurality of blades of the first turbinecomprises six blades, wherein the plurality of blades of the secondturbine comprises six blades, and wherein the interval of separation is60°.
 20. A water power turbine system according to claim 19, wherein thesecond turbine is staggered at 30° rotation with respect to the firstturbine.